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    AlterKnits Felt: Imaginative Projects for Knitting & Felting
    AlterKnits Felt: Imaginative Projects for Knitting & Felting
    AlterKnits Felt: Imaginative Projects for Knitting & Felting
    Ebook257 pages1 hour

    AlterKnits Felt: Imaginative Projects for Knitting & Felting

    By Leigh Radford and John Mulligan

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    About this ebook

    Master this technique with everything from felting basics to fabulous clothing to décor projects.
     
    There’s something magical about felting knits: You start with a piece of fabric that looks and feels a certain way and, by exposing it to water and agitation, finish with one that looks and feels completely different. This fascinating transformation is what led author Leigh Radford to begin felting years ago, and has kept her intrigued by the process ever since.
     
    Now, in AlterKnits Felt, Radford pushes the boundaries of traditional felting, as she did with traditional knitting in her earlier book, AlterKnits. Through 30 colorful, vibrant projects, she shows readers how to knit and then felt their own handiwork, as well as how to create gorgeous felted objects from recycled knits and unspun fiber. An introductory chapter on felting basics explains everything you need to know to make the fabulous clothes, accessories, and home decor that follow.
     
    The projects range from a quick and easy circle coin purse, to a shibori bag, to a reverse-appliqué rug, each unusual in its own way, distinguished by a special surface texture, an innovative mix of techniques, or a quirky combination of yarns. AlterKnits Felt provides every crafter with the tools to explore—and expand—the art of felting.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateOct 30, 2012
    ISBN9781453268155
    AlterKnits Felt: Imaginative Projects for Knitting & Felting
    Author

    Leigh Radford

    Leigh Radford is the author of AlterKnits and AlterKnits Felt (STC) and One Skein, a highly sought after teacher, and the former art director of Interweave Knits magazine. She has designed knitwear for Interweave Knits and for Lantern Moon. Her work has appeared in numerous books, including Weekend Knitting and Handknit Holidays (STC).

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      Book preview

      AlterKnits Felt - Leigh Radford

      [in memory of Ken Radford]

      Published in 2008 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang

      An imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

      Text and illustrations copyright © 2008 by Leigh Radford

      Photographs copyright © 2008 by John Mulligan

      All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic,

      photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Radford, Leigh.

      AlterKnits felt : imaginative projects for knitting and felting / by Leigh Radford;

      photography by John Mulligan.

      p. cm.

      STC Craft/A Melanie Falick book.

      Includes bibliographical references.

      ISBN 978-1-4532-6815-5

      1.  Knitting--Patterns. 2.  Felting.  I. Title.

      TT825.R278 2008

      746.43’2041--dc22

      2008001972

      Editor: Melanie Falick

      Designer: Goodesign

      Production Manager: Jacqueline Poirier

      115 West 18th Street

      New York, NY 10011

      www.hnabooks.com

      Introduction

      Felting Basics

      shibori bobble bag

      shibori scarf & cravat

      circular coin purses

      circle & stripe bag

      pleated cloche

      pleated collar

      simple zipper bag

      felted pillow with embroidery

      camp rose cushions & chair backs

      book & laptop sleeves

      reverse appliqué rug

      i-cord wrap bracelet & rings

      felted rings

      necklace

      basic needle-felted pullovers

      needle-felted pillows

      willamette wrap

      market bag

      blue jay blanket

      pincushions

      balls & buttons

      garland

      ornaments

      christmas stockings

      christmas tree skirt

      full circle purse

      hazel & maude pot holders

      oversized carry-all

      wool nesting boxes

      ottoman upholstery

      Special Techniques

      Abbreviations

      Sources for Supplies

      Bibliography

      Acknowledgments

      introduction

      EVER SINCE MY INITIAL EXPERIENCE MAKING FELT, I'VE BEEN INTRIGUED BY ITS MAGIC. MY FIRST PROJECT WAS A SMALL PINK ALPACA DRAWSTRING BAG THAT I KNITTED AND THEN FELTED BY HAND IN THE SINK. BY THE TIME I FINALLY FINISHED—IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY THE FELTING TOOK OVER AN HOUR—MY ARMS WERE TIRED. BUT I LOVED WHAT I HAD CREATED AND THE PROCESS OF GETTING THERE.

      TO THIS DAY, THIS PROCESS STILL INTRIGUES ME. I UNDERSTAND HOW FELTING HAPPENS AND THAT IT ISN’T REALLY MAGIC—WATER AND AGITATION CAUSE WOOL AND SOME OTHER ANIMAL FIBERS TO TWIST AROUND AND STICK TO ONE ANOTHER, THUS CLOSING UP THE HOLES IN THE FABRIC—BUT THERE STILL SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING MAGICAL ABOUT IT. I LOVE STARTING WITH A PIECE OF FABRIC THAT LOOKS AND FEELS A CERTAIN WAY DEPENDING ON MY CHOICE OF YARN, GAUGE, AND STITCH PATTERN, AND THEN FINISHING WITH A PIECE OF FABRIC THAT LOOKS AND FEELS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. I ALSO LOVE THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE FELTING PROCESS: I CAN START WITH TWO IDENTICAL PIECES OF FABRIC AND THEN HANDLE THEM DIFFERENTLY DURING THE FELTING STAGE IN ORDER TO ALTER THE RESULTS. FOR EXAMPLE, I MAY CHOOSE TO VARY THE AMOUNT OF TIME I FELT MY WORK, CHANGING THE DRAPE AND OVERALL FEEL, STRUCTURE, AND SIZE OF THE FINAL PIECE. OR I MAY CHOOSE TO FOLD OR PLEAT MY FABRIC AFTER IT’S FELTED IN ORDER TO CREATE A PIECE WITH A TEXTURED SURFACE.

      WHEN I FIRST STARTED FELTING, I SOMETIMES FOUND THE RESULTS OF MY EXPERIMENTS FRUSTRATING. RIGHT AWAY I NOTICED THAT MY WORK DID NOT SHRINK PROPORTIONATELY—FOR EXAMPLE, STOCKINETTE STITCH WOULD SHRINK TO ABOUT 65 PERCENT OF ITS ORIGINAL HEIGHT BUT ONLY 85 PERCENT OF ITS ORIGINAL WIDTH. I ALSO QUICKLY LEARNED THAT NOT ALL YARNS (OR STITCH PATTERNS) REACT THE SAME WAY WHEN FELTED, SO SOMETIMES WHEN I MADE WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A VERY SLIGHT MODIFICATION, THE RESULT WAS DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT. REGARDLESS, I WAS HOOKED—I WANTED TO FELT EVERYTHING. I KNITTED HUMONGOUS STRIPED BAGS IN A MULTITUDE OF COLORS AND FELTED THEM TO MANAGEABLE SIZES. I STARTED COMBINING NOVELTY YARNS THAT I KNEW WOULDN’T FELT WITH WOOL YARN THAT I KNEW FELTED WELL TO SEE HOW THE TWO WOULD WORK TOGETHER. I EXPERIMENTED WITH SHIBORI TECHNIQUES TO CREATE UNUSUAL TEXTURES. AS I TRIED OUT NEW IDEAS, I BECAME MORE AND MORE FASCINATED WITH THE RESULTS—BOTH THE SUCCESSES AND FAILURES—AND LEARNED SOMETHING NEW WITH EACH AND EVERY ENDEAVOR. I WAS PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF TRADITIONAL FELTING, EXPLORING DIFFERENT FIBERS, STITCH PATTERNS, SHAPES, AND METHODS FOR TEXTURIZING, AND ENJOYING EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

      ALTERKNITS FELT IS A COLLECTION OF THE PRJOECTS I CONSIDER TO BE MY MOST SUCCESSFUL EXPLORATIONS. IT INCLUDES PROJECTS MADE BY KNITTING A FABRIC, THEN FELTING IT, SOMETIMES APPLYING SPECIAL TECHNIQUES TO CREATE UNUSUAL SURFACE TEXTURES; TAKE A LOOK AT THE SHIBORI BOBBLE BAG, THE PLEATED CLOCHE, AND THE SHIBORI SCARF & CRAVAT. IT INCLUDES PROJECTS THAT REQUIRE RECYCLING PREEXISTING KNITS (FOR EXAMPLE, THRIFT-STORE SWEATERS), SUCH AS THE CAMP ROSE CUSHIONS AND THE REVERSE APPLIQUE RUG. FINALLY, THERE ARE PROJECTS MADE FROM UNSPUN FIBER THAT IS FELTED WITHOUT EVER BEING KNITTED, SUCH AS THE BALLS AND BUTTONS AND THE FELTED RINGS. SOME OF THESE PROJECTS ARE EASY AND QUICK, SUCH AS THE CIRCULAR COIN PURSES AND SOME REQUIRE MORE OF A COMMITMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CHRISTMAS TREE SKIRT.

      I HAVE DONE MY BEST TO WRITE ALL OF THE PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS SO THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DUPLICATE MY RESULTS, HOWEVER FELTING IS AN ORGANIC PROCESS THAT IS AFFECTED BY MANY VARIABLES, SUCH AS THE FIBERS USED, THE TYPE OF WATER YOU HAVE, AND HOW YOUR WASHING MACHINE OPERATES. I URGE YOU TO READ FELTING BASICS IN ORDRE TO UNDERSTAND AND CONTROL WHAT YOU ARE DOING. ONCE YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE BASICS, I ALSO ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXPERIMENT AND EXPLORE, ALWAYS STAYING ENGAGED IN THE FELTING PROCESS SO THAT YOU CAN REACT TO WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING AND ALSO LEARN FROM EACH EXPERIENCE. ALONG THE WAY, I AM SURE YOU WILL DISCOVER YOUR OWN TRICKS AND INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES WHICH I'M HOPING YOU WILL SHARE WITH OTHERS. THAT WAY WE CAN ALL ENJOY TOGETHER THIS JOURNEY THROUGH THE ART OF FELTING.

      havefun.tif

      felting basics

      IF YOU’VE EVER MISTAKENLY THROWN A WOOL SWEATER IN A WASHING MACHINE, YOU KNOW ABOUT FELTING—THE PROCESS BY WHICH CERTAIN ANIMAL FIBERS EXPOSED TO WATER AND AGITATION GRAB ONTO EACH OTHER TO CREATE A DENSE, SOLID FABRIC. WHEN IT HAPPENS BY ACCIDENT, FELTING CAN BE RATHER DISTURBING. WHEN ACHIEVED ON PURPOSE, FELTING CAN BE BEAUTIFUL. THIS BOOK IS DEVOTED TO PURPOSEFUL FELTING WITH BEAUTIFUL RESULTS.

      TECHNICALLY, THE TERM FELTING REFERS TO THE PROCESS OF MAKING FELT OUT OF UNSPUN FIBER AND THE TERM FULLING REFERS TO THE PROCESS OF MAKING FELT OUT OF KNITTED OR WOVEN FABRIC. HOWEVER, THE TERM FELTING IS NOW COMMONLY USED FOR BOTH PROCESSES.

      FELTING IS NOT AN EXACT SCIENCE. I HAVE TESTED AND RETESTED THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL OF THE PROJECTS IN THIS BOOK, BUT TO BE SURE YOU ACHIEVE SUCCESSFUL RESULTS, YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE FOLLOWING BASIC GUIDELINES.

      Fiber

      Most but not all animal fibers will felt if exposed to moisture and agitation—in my experience, pure wool, alpaca, mohair, and llama all felt well. Some blends that include small percentages of fibers that don’t felt on their own, such as silk or nylon, will also felt, although it may take a while.

      When it comes to felting, all feltable fiber is not created equal. The speed at which, and the extent to which, a fiber will felt is affected by how the fiber was processed, including the chemicals it was exposed to during manufacturing and, if it is yarn, the way it was spun. Yarns that have been treated to make them machine-washable, often called superwash yarns, will not felt at all. Sometimes even certain colors of the same yarn will felt differently. It used to be that many chemically treated white yarns wouldn’t felt at all, however these days that isn’t as much of a problem. Still, I never skip the swatching step when I’m working with white or other very light-colored yarn for the first time.

      Moisture

      Moisture is vital to the felting process. As wool and other feltable fibers absorb moisture, their scales begin to swell and push open, helping the fibers to tangle. Although any type of moisture

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